I just got back from a 'neighbourhood association meeting' and I've only now (after walking home ranting and crying loudly) able to unclench my hands enough to type...

The meeting was organized by busybodies in my area who were opposed to a 'wet' housing facility. Which is a facility that allows you to do drugs/alcohol in your rental home. Basically the point is that they don't kick you OUT for doing those things. They do have rules that you abide by and if you don't abide by them you get thrown out.

The meeting was designed by and for people who do NOT want the project to go through. They almost didn't let us in the door because one lady kept on misunderstanding my road name for a road in another part of town. Spaces for speaking were timed, but because the timer was a lady who hated the homeless she would hold UP the timer for people who were agreeing with her and they would be allowed to say their last bit, and people whose time came up who were FOR he project got shushed and told to sit down.

*I* got booed off the stage because in the face of lots of people saying the things I wanted to say about how this facility would be monitored, how harm reduction needs to be integrated into our solution planning and etc. So I wanted to say (what I had hoped to be something powerful) about the fact that not all of us are privileged enough to not have the problems that the homeless have and to have the things that enable us to be here in a room debating the rights and needs of others.

I got about as far as "I'm privileged enough not to have X, Y and Z and to have had a stable family life etc. and not everyone has that" Before I got booed off the mic with cries of "I WORKED HARD FOR MY PRIVILEGE!" and got interrupted many times before that and of course my time came up and I had to sit down because the chair of the 'discussion' told me I had no point and to sit down.

I had to leave after that because I couldn't trust myself to control myself but the general argument was:

Homeless people are scary.Drugs are illegalzand:

Not in my back yard. PEOPLE SAID THAT IN ERNEST!

So... I'm still a little upset. Comfort?

_________________http://seraphsong.blogspot.com/Guilty of Being Sprite - They're probably just waiting for the camera egg to hatch, which would then create a much larger camera they'd quickly find.

I hate when people treat homeless people horribly, or think that they're just a "problem" rather than actual people. It actually hurts me when people think a particular group of people is not worthy to interact with/live near the "civilized."

Reading what happened makes me so angry... I bet these are the kind of people who think that you can just round up those who are homeless and put them on a bus to someplace else to be rid of the "problem" that's plaguing their town...

Good on you to have even gone to a meeting that was set up by the opposition!And feel better! You definitely did the right thing. :)

Already done. I ranted all the way home and cried and such, and then we ordered cheeseless pizza from our favourite place and covered it in Teese. Also I posted to the PPK You guys are awesome.

But seriously.

The plan is proposed to go right near the hospital which is in the centre of town.

They were saying things like "Why not put it out near the air port!" (which is like... 30km out of town) And "Why not put it in -municipality that is not actually our town which is also about 40 km out of town-"

... *Holds head* The ppk is rational, the ppk doesn't interrupt me when I speaks... the ppk knows that it can't work for privilege.. for that is not the nature of privilege... ._.

_________________http://seraphsong.blogspot.com/Guilty of Being Sprite - They're probably just waiting for the camera egg to hatch, which would then create a much larger camera they'd quickly find.

You did the right thing. You were brave and stood up for what you believed in with the knowledge that most people wouldn't receive it well. Homelessness is a hard thing for most people to understand. It's so scary and unknown that people have to either ignore it or demonize it to make themselves feel better.

You treat yourself right and give yourself a big pat on the back. Hugs.

There were actually quite a few people that were in favour of the project and much more eloquent than I, and they were treated almost as bad as I was (I said the P word and that always brings out the worst in people).

_________________http://seraphsong.blogspot.com/Guilty of Being Sprite - They're probably just waiting for the camera egg to hatch, which would then create a much larger camera they'd quickly find.

Good on you for going there to say your piece. I imagine it would be an impossible, irrational, fearful crowd who have been wound up and misinformed. At least you tried and at least you left without it coming to anything worse.

Oh wow, that is absolutely disgusting. What awful people. I wish I could pick them all up and drop them in the parts of Manila that I volunteered in so they could see that for some people, working hard for the priviledge of a home means working three jobs. These people do not work hard. They have no idea what hard work is.

I sincerely hope that this won't stop you from standing up to them again. You're doing the right thing, and a lot of people need you to keep doing it.

Ugh people can forking suck. I think you're very brave to go into an obviously hostile, and ignorant environment and say your part and it's such a shame that these people are so forking thick. I'm livid FOR you so I can only imagine how furious you are.

Yes, this 1000%. I really hate it when people have a 'meeting' to 'discuss' issues and it turns out that all it is for is to wind people up and they absolutely refuse to let opposing people speak. These are the same people who if you told them to shut up, would say "What happened to this country, what happened to free speech?" A-holes.

Mat.

_________________Lady Gaga and Beyonce should run her over with the kitten Wagon for that one comment alone - Torque (speaking of Katy Perry)

Hugs and kudos to you for taking on this project . It's much easier not to fight for change. It's much easier to let those who have no voice remain mute. It's much easier to close your eyes to those people who have problems and are not like "us.". I is much easier to say you support a cause and then say nothing else. But I've never found easy interesting or rewarding. You have chosen to define your person by being the change, and I admire that. That is leadership. Keep your chin up - people who attempt to squelch dialogue inevitably highlight their own fear and ignorance. I have worked a fair housing and community projects - it changes lives. Thank you for your efforts. You are wonderful! Remember that.

_________________Did you notice the slight feeling of panic at the words "Chicken Basin Street"? Like someone was walking over your grave? Try not to remember. We must never remember. - mumblesIs this about devilberries and nazifruit again? - footface

You did great for standing up for people who really need it, and its definitely difficult to speak into what sounds like a completely hostile audience. It doesn't sound like MLK himself could have gotten through to them, because they weren't there to have an openminded discussion. They were there to bond over their shared fear and rant, and anything that got in the way of that was going to be rejected and booed off the stage.

Nickalya wrote:

(I said the P word and that always brings out the worst in people).

If you don't mind, I would try and remember to speak to your audience, and the concept of privilege is a pretty complex one and not one that most people at town meetings would "get" or be receptive to.

Honestly, policy isn't generally made in town hall meetings anyway - those are places where people go to rant and the decisionmakers are just trying to get through being yelled at. Instead, have people who support the wet house get in touch with them separately and make calm reasoned pleas. Especially if you can appeal to anything involving jobs or money, you'd be surprised by how people are willing to listen if you can point to even the possibility of money, jobs or a lawsuit.

Anyway, you didn't ask for advice, just comfort, and I really do think you did great. <3

_________________My oven is bigger on the inside, and it produces lots of wibbly wobbly, cake wakey... stuff. - The PoopieB.